CRANAplus welcomes the announcement of $11.7 million in government funding towards the employment of 20 Nurse Practitioners in Western Australia for two years as part of a pilot program that aims to improve access to high quality primary care.
The program, jointly announced by the Federal and Western Australian governments on 20 February, will fund Nurse Practitioners to work independently and within multi-disciplinary teams to provide free services to patients.
CRANAplus CEO, Katherine Isbister, says that “CRANAplus welcomes the leadership shown by Australian and West Australian Governments in recognising the role of Nurse Practitioners in providing high-quality primary care.
“This pilot is an important step towards a strong, sustainable, and fully staffed rural and remote workforce.
“Nurse practitioners already do an outstanding job in supporting the health of communities across the state and this program must be seen as an acknowledgment of their contributions to date.
“This program, by empowering models of care that allow NPs to work at their full scope of practice, can hopefully provide more widespread opportunities for NPs to make a difference, thereby reducing pressure on our healthcare systems and improving access to care.
“We are hopeful that the program will be trialled in rural and remote areas – and not just in Western Australia. We hope it can act as a foundation for the broader utilisation of the Nurse Practitioner workforce across all states and territories.”
Media enquiries
Sam Richards
Ph: (07) 4047 6400
E: communications@crana.org.au
